Tunisian IS suspect arrested over attack plot

A Tunisian man suspected of being a recruiter for the Islamic State group and building a network of supporters to carry out an attack in Germany was arrested Wednesday as authorities in western Germany raided dozens of locations.

Frankfurt prosecutors said that their investigation was directed against 16 people aged between 16 and 46. The main suspect, a 36-year-old Tunisian whom authorities didn't identify, was arrested in Frankfurt on suspicion of supporting a foreign terrorist organization.

Investigators believe that he had been a recruiter and smuggler for the IS group since August 2015. They suspect that he had built up a network of supporters with the aim, among other things, of carrying out an attack in Germany. However, they say that plans for an attack were at an early stage and no specific target had been chosen.

Wednesday's raids targeted 54 apartments, business premises and mosques in Frankfurt and across Hesse state.